


Strategy

by Galactic_Bartender



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Gen, Not Canon Compliant - Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:00:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28104357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galactic_Bartender/pseuds/Galactic_Bartender
Summary: Chancellor Palpatine loves games of strategy and enjoys the company of a young padawan and a daily game of chess.
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Moving my works from tumblr(soclonely, starwars drabbles and dabbles) to here in order to keep them in one place!

“Every chess master was once a beginner.” – Irving Chernev

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“And who is this brave young lady?” Chancellor Palpatine asks cheerfully. “Oh that is my new padawan, Zuri.” The Jedi smiles down at the child encouragingly. “I promised to show her the Senate building today and didn’t expect to see you chancellor. Forgive me, we will be on our wa-”

“Nonsense!,” Palpatine interjects. “It has come to my attention that I have a few minutes of free time anyways. Tell me Zuri, do you like games?”

The girl nods shyly. “How about chess then? It’s a delightful game of strategy. I am rather good at it, if I do say so myself.” He says, taking the board out from its bin under the table. She works up the courage to reply. “N-no. But… I could learn!” She looks over at her master. “Oh please! I want to learn! You always tell me I need to work on strategy.” Her teacher smiles, “Well.. Why not?”

Zuri scurries to sits excitedly in front of the Chancellor. “Now, the first thing you need to know is the pieces! See these ones here?” He holds up the biggest. “These are the kings and queens. And these-” He gestures to some of the other pieces on the boards. “Nights, bishops, and rooks. So the key is to-”

“Wait!.” Zuri interrupts, “What about these ones?” She points to the smallest ones in the front. “There are an awful lot of these pieces. They must be really important!”

“Mmm not really,” Palpatine says distractedly, setting up his own side. “They are just pawns, nothing more.” He leans back and smiles. “Now, how about a game of chess?”

A year has passed, along with many weekly chess games between the chancellor and Jedi padawan Zuri

“Room for improvement.” Palpatine tsked, smiling as he put away the chess pieces. “You are getting better though I must say. That was the longest game we have had yet!” He looks at the clock. “I am nearly late for my meeting with the Banking Clan representative. Dreadfully boring I’m afraid.” He looks over at Zuri, noting her pout. “Is something bothering you my dear?”

Zuri just stares out the window. “This game. I’m ju-just terrible at it! I understand how to play and the pieces, the objective… But I still don’t get it. I don’t understand the strategy!” She waves at the empty board in front of her, defeated. She looks up remembering who she was sitting with and quickly adds. “I-I mean I do enjoy the games Chancellor, really It’s just-” She turns a slight shade of red.

Palpatine just chuckles. “Dear child, Its not the game you need to know. Its me.” he says with a mysterious glimmer in his eye. “You need to know my strategy to defeat me.” He stands up and Zuri follows, walking with him toward the door. “You will never defeat your opponent unless you know your opponent.” Zuri sighs. “You would think that after playing for as long as we have, I would know how to beat you Chancellor.”

“Ah ha! But you see, that is what makes me such a good chess player. You don’t know me, or my strategy. The key is to keep it hidden until the right moment. Then strike!” He opens the door leading them toward the hall. “That is how you claim victory. Now run along, and find your Master. And I will see you next week for the next battle in our great chess war… Unless of course you seriously want to end it now.”

Zuri takes a few steps then stops. “Sir!” She turns, catching the Chancellors attention. “You know, I bet with more practice, I could win.” She nods her head and smiles, more determined then a few seconds prior. “I will win! See you next week!” She waves and sprints down the corridor.

Chancellor Palpatine just shakes his head and chuckles. “Spoken like a true Jedi.”

A few days later, Order 66 was executed. The galaxy is in chaos and confused. Palpatine is in his office.

“I am not to be disturbed for the next hour. Do you understand?” The deformed cloaked figure said to the Guard. “Y-es my Lord.” The men responded, headed toward the door in uniformed fashion. “Send the girl in would you? It’s about that time and I don’t want to keep her waiting.” He adds, heading toward a table on the side of his office, opening a draw with chess pieces.

Girl?….

The guards look at each other confused before realizing.

Zuri.. The young padawan…

The room is quiet for a moment. Mas Amedda clears his throat, breaking the tension. “My Lord… Zuri will not be coming to play today. Or any day after you see.. She was-.” He stops, noticing Darth Sidious’s composure hardening. The room is once again as still. Seconds go by at an agonizing pace. 

Click! The drawer shuts.

“Oh thats right. And what a pity. A few more lessons and the Jedi could have won.”


	2. Check

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A much Older Palpatine is plagued by the ghost of his former game mate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> moving my stories from tumblr (soclonely) to one place here!

“Leave me.” The disformed figure says to his guards. With a bow, they leave. And the old man removes his hood. 

Sidious lets out a low growl and stares out the panels of his office and down to the streets of his crumbling empire. The frustration of the measly rebellion, the Skywalker brat, all of it was becoming rather frustrating. And his apprentice, Darth Vader, going through changes that were unexpected to say the least. Something was different about his once faithful apprentice. Loyalties were slowly shifting to other places. He was interested in the boy that was the son of Anakin Skywalker. But the latter was dead, killed years ago for the birth of the Empire and Lord Vader.

“I must become more involved.” Palpatine says to himself. “I must meet the boy myself, and bring him over to the Dark Side.” If there was a chance of Vader betraying him, then perhaps a new apprentice was in order. Or, perhaps persuading the young Skywalker to the Dark Side would show Vader that this child was nothing more than a power hungry soul, and would take out the competition so to speak. After all, there can only be a Master and an Apprentice, and neither of them could defeat him.

A small giggle came from an untouched corner of the room, causing Palpatine to stop his inner monologue. He turns around to see a young girl sitting at the forgotten table.. A chess set with a nearly complete game on the board. The girl had a braid in her hair, significant to a young padawan of the Jedi order. She looks at the Emperor mischievously, then looks down at the board. 

Sidious froze, staring at Zuri’s smiling face. It couldn’t be, he thought to himself, the Jedi order was gone, because of him. They were all gone, dead. The girl…

“You are dead.” Palpatine states to her matter-of-factly.

The little girl only response was another little giggle and a wave of her hand at the board, once again telling the Emperor to join him.

Palpatine slowly moves toward the table, and examines the board. The white places were on the usual side of the board. Zuri always enjoyed how they glimmered in the sunlight of the office window. Palpatine favored the black pieces- ominous, intimidating. 

“You never won, you know.” Palpatine said smugly. “I really should have allowed you to at least once. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway my dear. I-” he stops, noticing the places of the pieces on the board. A white knight and pawns surround the black king.

The girl looks up at Palpatine and smiles. “Check!” She says, giggling at the shocked face of the old man. Palpatine blinked, and opened his eyes to an empty room.

Palpatine stands in silence for a moment, before pulling his hood up and heading for the doors of his office. Lord Sidious steps out into the corridor. “Send a message to Lord Vader. I wish to speak to him about journeying to the Death Star myself. It is time we end this rebellion.. Once and for all.”

The Emperor walks down the halls of his empty and quiet palace, mind loud with the sounds of the past. This round may be over, but there are many more ahead of us in this game.

Check….


End file.
